Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player-Novel

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After walking halfway in the hidden abode, a lofty sight entered Kieran's view. Small piles of gold coins were scattered throughout the spacious cave with gems similar to rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and other precious stones accompanying the mounds of coins.

However, despite the sheer value of these piles, that wasn't what drove Altair to call for Kieran. Located not too far away from the heaps of coins, directly in the center of the cave, as if it was designed to draw any visitor's focus, was a stone table.

Situated upon the stone table were various armors and weapons. However, given Rautori's propensity for destruction, the items atop the table were limited to heavy weapons as well as Heavy and Plate Armor. Out of everyone in the party, only Kieran, Nemean and Bastion could benefit from such items.

The rest either wore Leather or Cloth Armor. Of course, that didn't mean they were out of luck. Hung along the side and back walls were a few miscellaneous weapons and what seemed to be inoperable ornaments.

"This would have to be a chamber designed to house Rautori's spoils of war. How else would he get his hands upon so much equipment if not? It didn't seem like he belonged to any power with the way he despised restrictions. That type of individual wouldn't willingly submit to another," Kieran muttered before slowly limping forward.

As he approached the closest pile, Kieran bent down and examined one of the items. It was one of the emerald-green gems. However, if one looked closely enough, one would realize there was a swirl of wind gently rotating inside. As Kieran held the item, it felt light to the touch, almost weightless even.

「 Volant Whirlwind Gem (Material)

Item Rank: Epic (89)

Item Level: Tier II Gem

Item Usage: This item can be used for enchanting, engraving, and lapidary services. The effects of this item vary depending on the skill of the handler.

Description: A naturally formed gem created after experiencing years of pressure in conditions saturated by pure Mana and high-quality Wind Elements. The energy contained inside can be purified further to fit the user's desires.. 」

Kieran's jaw nearly dropped after looking at the gem in his hand in shock. While the system didn't reveal this gem's specific limitations or range because of Kieran's lack of inspection or appraisal abilities, the value of this gem was undeniable.

After all, any item related to the three lifestyle classes—Enchanter, Engravist, or Lapidary held immense value. That's because the first two could increase the value of equipment through their particular practices.

Of course, that was impossible right now because not only was this a Tier II Gem, but it was also of Epic quality. While it was possible to enlist the help of an NPC specializing in those departments, quite frankly, it'd be a waste.

Tier II Gems were viable even for items meant to be wielded by Advanced Classes. Furthermore, since it was a gem with an Epic rating, it could be used to enchant or engrave up to an Epic item. Of course, there was a chance of failure, which depended on the practitioner and the item they were handling.

Once Kieran noted the worth of the gem, he quickly turned to the others. "Ignore the coins, I want you guys to call out the information on the gems."

"Oh, sure thing, boss! Looky here; I have some fire-type gems. Uh, there's a water one too. OH! And a metal one. Uh, they say something about Tier I or Tier II and have a ranking of Unique (80) or better. Is that good?" Cyr exclaimed before standing up with a sheepish chuckle.

Regarding the knowledge of lifestyle-related items, almost every player aside from Kieran would be lacking. Hence, Kieran didn't tease Cyr for his lack of knowledge. Instead, he displayed an excited grin.

After Cyr, the others quickly called out many types of the same gems, including earth ones.

"Good? We've effectively hit the jackpot, boys and girls. It may not be now or soon, but these items will become a highly sought commodity. While it somewhat sucks that there are only several hundred of these gems, I can't complain," Kieran said.

Afterward, Kieran turned toward Luna. "Would you like a higher portion of Gold, or would you like to keep the agreed 20% of the gems. I won't urge you to favor either decision; the choice is solely yours."

"Um…" Luna murmured. The allure of the Gold was too irresistible to give up, but after having heard Kieran's claims, Luna also couldn't overlook the potential worth of the gems. If her decision was too hasty, she could potentially make an oversight that she'd regret in the future.

Thus, Luna pondered patiently while panning her gaze to the others. Most of their gazes were fixated on the piles of Gold while Nemean and Bastion drooled over the items on the table. Forget the Gold, these pieces of equipment were almost tailored for armored classes like theirs.

After almost of minute of rumination, Luna looked to Kieran again. "How much will you increase the portion of Gold. Also, do we have a tally of how much Gold is present in this place? We also can't forget the silver."

Kieran gave a slight smile as he heard these questions. Instead of following up with these essential questions, most people would make a hasty decision fueled by the fervent sight of Gold in the room. However, a keen person like Luna knew that the prudent choice was the one that could secure her future.

"The value of gold present should be somewhere close to or just above 4,000 Gold," Kieran said. However, the approximation was somewhat wrong because Kieran only gave the amount of pure Gold and Silver present and neglected the gem's value. This wasn't a guess made after glancing around the cave. Once Kieran became the party leader, he gained sole rights to the loot reports delivered upon dungeon clears. The exact amount of coins present amounted to 4,560 Gold.

Hearing this number made Luna's throat tremble as she struggled to swallow. Over 4,000 Gold?! Until this moment, the most Gold she had ever held was 10. Since the game was still in its beginning stages, acquiring Gold was fairly difficult, especially for parties limited to what they could accomplish alone.

Just Luna's portion alone was close to 900 Gold alone. That would be enough to comfortably gear her small party and still have plenty left over to begin setting the foundation for her future. After all, with the lack of extremely powerful gear, even the best quality gear currently available barely scratched the surface of one Gold.

This was also why Kieran had no intentions of dealing with the Scarlet Steel Greatsword and allowed it to break. The profit, or the lack thereof, made it unreasonable to pour any funds into it.

"O-over 4,000 Gold?" Luna stumbled. A tinge of blush entered her cheek as she cleared her throat and straightened up. "Then, how much would my portion increase? And, what is the potential worth of those gems?"

"I'd be willing to increase your portion to 2,500 Gold flat. As for the worth of those gems, unknown," Kieran said.

He naturally couldn't expose his knowledge of those gems; otherwise, he would arouse great suspicion. Additionally, Kieran honestly didn't know the worth of the gems because, unlike in the past, the market was infantile and malleable. If he could possess enough financial might, the likelihood of Kieran being able to control the market surrounding that one item was high.

Kieran's offers made Luna's eyes nearly jump out of their socket. Despite the mysterious worth of the gems, Luna felt more inclined to accept the generous offer. The number of advanced organizations that could amass this much currency was likely zero.

Gaming organizations would likely need at least two weeks to hash out any issues that arose with establishing their farming divisions.

"I'll have to accept your offer then. I'll gladly receive the 2,500 Gold over the gems," Luna nodded after a short pause. Although she knew the potential gains of those gems, they were only that—potential. Most of all, Luna now required the funds to begin her endeavor. 2,500 Gold, while far from enough, was undoubtedly a good start.

After all, the Universal Currency Exchange Trading System was currently in a highly inflated state. Because Kieran enlisted 100 Gold for $1,200, the worth of Gold followed an upward trend. Presently, one Gold coin was valued between $2,000 and 2,100. The current price was indeed the work of scalpers and casuals who played this game as a means to supplement their income.

Of course, neither Kieran nor Luna had any issue with it. If they chose to liquidize even 1,000 Gold, they'd quickly acquire close to $2 million after fees.

"Great. As for the equipment behind me… would it bother you if I take away your right to receive any?"

"Not at all," Luna quickly shook her head. "I've already received far more than I could ever expect. Besides, those are the spoils of a battle you won alone. I have no right to ask for a portion."

Her response immediately resulted in Kieran holding her in a new light. These types of morals were undoubtedly needed when looking to form allies. If she could refuse the temptation of seemingly extraordinary items, wouldn't she also be able to refuse deals that would stab her allies in the back?

Of course, Kieran couldn't jump to that conclusion without learning more about Luna. In the end, some people changed with time due to their experiences. And, sometimes those changes were not for the better.

Nevertheless, Kieran brought up the transfer screen and immediately transferred 2,500 Gold, which caused it to vanish from the floor. The others almost jumped in fright, but Kieran waved his hand while urging them not to worry.

"As a token of my appreciation, everyone present will receive 50 Gold," Kieran said. While this may seem unfair since Luna received such an enormous sum, there was a reason why it was so. Unlike Luna, none of these people intended to form a guild, so they didn't require a large amount of Gold.

50 Gold was already enough to purchase any item of desire while maintaining a comfortable cushion. In fact, for a run like this, it was typical for the participants to receive a 50 Silver bonus at most. In other words, Kieran's offer was 100 times the standard rate.

Would it always be like this? No. Kieran's method employed enticing rewards to solidify his team's impression of him.

Soon enough, all that remained was the equipment in the room as Kieran distributed the bonus and kept the remaining 1,660 Gold and gems. Because 100 gems qualified as a maximum stack and several types existed, a few spaces in his inventory was immediately taken up.

Afterward, Kieran walked up to the table and perused the items. It only took a second for Kieran to come across the equipment that caught his eye.